Which way to grill? Aficionados defend charcoal, gas

Published 4:00 am, Friday, August 10, 2007

The Charcoal Advocate

It's hard to get a diehard charcoal barbecue guy to budge from the stance that real wood offers the best taste. Jody Banks is no exception.

Banks, a San Francisco video producer, became the cook for his wife and two kids when he found himself unemployed in the aftermath of the dot-com bust. Realizing that barbecuing required far less cleanup than using pots and pans (a point the Weber sales force drove home to consumers, especially men, when the now-ubiquitous kettles were introduced in the late 1950s), Banks got serious about grilling.

About the same time, a grill-master pal whipped up some amazing ribs for him. Smitten, Banks had a goal: to slow-cook the perfect ribs. "I've been caught up in it ever since," said Banks.

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Banks prefers charcoal for the flavor. "You can use different types for different effects. I use Kingsford briquettes for slow-cook because they last longer, but mesquite and hickory wood charcoal burns hotter and adds great flavor to quick-grilled fish, poultry and meats," he said.

He never uses lighter fluid or Match Light briquets and says that a light paper shopping bag in the bottom of a charcoal chimney is just as fast.

While Banks doesn't consider himself to be an authority on gas grills, he has used them and acknowledges that they're much more convenient and efficient, "but I can't get that smoky, seasoned flavor out of them. They're often bigger than I like for slow-cook, so the smoke isn't concentrated."

Banks also doesn't like the idea of lugging propane tanks around. A regular at Burning Man, his grill is always a popular spot on the playa.

"The other big thing is the primal nature of cooking meat over a fire and gathering around to wait. People have been doing this since they've had fire, but not with propane," he said.

As for the emissions, Banks recommends closing the cover and shutting off the vents when you're done cooking. "You'll save about a third of your briquettes, which will light faster next time on the bottom of your chimney."

Another worry is the deadly - according to the charcoal bag - carbon monoxide emissions from charcoal (if used indoors). "I figure eating meat in itself is probably worse for the planet, so it's a fraction of that problem," said Banks. "But I haven't been able to give it up just yet because I've gotten too good at making it tasty."

The Gas Guy

Like many a gas griller, Tommy Harris started out using charcoal. Hailing from a long line of West Texas mesquite barbecuers, Harris, who grew up in San Francisco and San Bruno, knew only one way to cook outdoors: over a charcoal fire.

But after moving into his new home in Bernal Heights in 1998, Harris noticed a neighbor putting his old gas grill out to pasture on the street corner. Harris took the rusted grill off his neighbor's hands.

Soon he found himself rebuilding the behemoth grill. "It was like an old used car," said Harris, a stay-at-home dad in charge of two active boys. He brought it back to life by replacing burners and elements.

At first, Harris' gas conversion was all about convenience. For someone who grills outdoors 200 times a year, not having to wait an hour to get the coals going beforehand is a real time-saver. But after he learned all the tricks, Harris found that on his grill he could smoke brisket and grill tri-tip that would make his forebears proud.

The key was in getting the real smoke flavor by placing a cast-iron firebox full of wood chips right over one the burners while cooking. "I put mesquite in it for beef, New York steaks, even hamburgers," said Harris. "For smoked salmon I use alder wood."

A gas grill also offers Harris grilling versatility. He can have one burner on low for hot dogs for the kids and on another can cook a tri-tip at a much higher temperature. An avid fisherman, diver and the former fish buyer, Harris likes to grill abalone. After letting it sit for three days so the muscle will relax, he wraps it in tin foil with butter, lemon and garlic and then slaps it - "just like Jiffy Pop" popcorn - right on the grill.

A couple of years ago Harris broke down and got himself a top-of-the-line Weber Genesis Silver gas grill that he pampers, but one thing he doesn't do is clean the grill. Instead, Harris burns off any stuck-on leftover bits. He says that helps to season the grill. "It adds to the flavor," he said.

Although he will still pull out a charcoal grill for camping trips to Baja and the like, Harris has made a complete transition to gas. While he realizes that gas is not carbon neutral and that it may be harmful to forests to mine for natural gas, Harris is more put off by the smoke involved with charcoal cooking.

Now when he gets near the smoke of someone using a charcoal grill, he has an adverse reaction. "I've been using the gas so long I kind of forget the charcoal smoke. It's like quitting smoking and being around a smoker. It annoys you - you're not as tolerant as you used to be," he said.